1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a clamping device of a disk drive and a method for supporting the disk drive, and more particularly, to a clamping device of a disk drive which is capable of implementing a light, thin and small disk drive, ensuring a reliable clamping of a disk and a smooth unclamping.
2. Description of the Background Art
Generally, a clamping device is provided to a disk drive to prevent the disk from releasing from a turntable when the disk is rotated.
FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a disk drive having a clamping device and FIG. 2 is a schematic front sectional view of the disk drive having a clamping device in accordance with the conventional art.
As shown in the drawings, a main chassis 1 and an upper chassis 2 attached to the upper portion of the main chassis 1 constitute the inner part and the outer part of the disk drive. On the main chassis 1, there are installed a pick-up base 3, a pick-up assembly 4 and a turntable 5 on which a disk xe2x80x98Dxe2x80x99 is mounted to be rotated.
On the upper portion of the turntable 5, there is also provided a damper 6 for fixing the disk xe2x80x98Dxe2x80x99 mounted on the turntable 5. The damper 6 is normally (in an unclamping state) supported by a first and a second damper holders 7 and 7xe2x80x2 installed at the lower surface of the upper chassis 2.
Magnets 11 and 11xe2x80x2 are installed at a predetermined portion of the first and the second damper holders 7 and 7xe2x80x2, so that the damper 6 is held by the magnetic force of the magnets 11 and 11xe2x80x2 when the disk is unclamped.
A magnet 8 is attached at the center of the lower surface of the damper 6 so as to be magnetically attached to the turntable 5.
The first and the second damper holders 7 and 7xe2x80x2 receive driving force from a gear 9 that is rotated by a driving source, for which rack gear units 7a and 7axe2x80x2 are engaged with the gear 9 in a facing manner in the first and the second damper holders 7 and 7xe2x80x2.
Restoration springs 10 and 10xe2x80x2 elastically connect the first and the second damper holders 7 and 7xe2x80x2 together, to allow the first and second damper holders 7 and 7xe2x80x2 to their original positions upon unclamping.
The operation of the clamping device of the conventional art constructed as described above will now be explained.
Immediately when the disk xe2x80x98Dxe2x80x99 is mounted on the turntable 5, the gear 9 is rotated upon receipt of driving force from the driving source, according to which the first and the second damper holders 7 and 7xe2x80x2 respectively move in the opposite direction as indicated by the arrows shown in FIG. 1, going away from each other.
As the damper holders 7 and 7xe2x80x2 move, the magnets 11 and 11xe2x80x2 installed at the lower surfaces thereof are accordingly moved to release the damper 6. Then, the damper 6 is lowered from the attachment by the magnets 11 and 11xe2x80x2 and is attached to the turntable 3 by the magnetic force of the magnet 8 of the turntable 3 so that it prevents the disk xe2x80x98Dxe2x80x99 from deviating off the turntable 3 when the disk xe2x80x98Dxe2x80x99 is rotated.
However, the clamping device of the conventional art has the following problems.
First, in case where the disk drive is vertically installed for use, the damper 6 is not properly operated.
In a vertically installed disk drive, when the damper 6 is released from the attachment to the damper holders 7 and 7xe2x80x2 to hold the disk xe2x80x98Dxe2x80x99, it is bound to fall due to gravity. In this respect, the damper 6 is not accurately placed in line with the central hole of the disk, and its operation is not properly performed.
In addition, as the rotation speed of the disk drive is increased as technology advances, the centrifugal force generated during the rotation of the disk xe2x80x98Dxe2x80x99 becomes so strong that the method for holding the disk xe2x80x98Dxe2x80x99 only by virtue of the magnetic force of the magnet 8 is not reliable.
Meanwhile, in an effort to resolve the problem, a mechanical construction has been proposed in that the damper is raised to hold the disk. However, employment of such mechanical construction inevitably defies the concept of a light, thin and small construction of the disk drive.
The present invention is to provide a clamping device of a disk drive which is capable of implementing a light, thin and small disk drive, ensuring a reliable clamping of a disk as well as smooth unclamping of the disk.
The present invention also provides a clamping device of a disk drive that ensures an accurate operation no matter how a disk drive is oriented and installed for use.
As embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided a clamping device of a disk drive including: a driving source, a driving member rotated by the driving force of the driving source; a clamping member for clamping a disk while being ascended and descended by virtue of a rotation movement of the driving member; and a clamping member ascending and descending unit for switching the rotation movement of the driving source to ascending and descending movement of the clamping member, and elastically supporting the disk on a turntable while the disk is being mounted on the turntable.
Referring to the driving member, guide pins installed at predetermined intervals on the upper chassis are positioned in guide slots formed with a predetermined curvature on the driving member, so that the driving member is rotated by the driving force transferred from the driving source.
The clamping member ascending and descending unit includes an elastic bent portion of which one end is coupled to the driving member, and being extended from the one end in a bent form to have elasticity; a support piece extended form the elastic bent portion to help mount the disk on the turntable; and a guide piece formed at one side of the elastic bent portion, functioning as a cam for ascending and descending the support piece according to the rotation of the driving member. The clamping member ascending and descending unit refers to an elastic support arm that is rotated along with the driving member.
A predetermined interval guide slot is formed at the elastic bent portion of the elastic support arm. A protrusion is formed at the upper chassis corresponding to the guide slot at the movement trajectory of the elastic support arm and a sloping side is formed at the side corresponding to the guide piece, so that the protrusion is moved along within the guide slot when the elastic support arm moves and the guide piece is moved along the sloping side, rendering the support piece of the elastic support arm to be moved downwardly to thereby mount and fix the disk on the turntable.
There are provided a plurality of elastic support arms, of which one is installed at a higher position than the others.
An elastic press member is additionally installed on the driving member to push the clamping member towards the direction where the disk is positioned. The elastic press member includes a circular body portion installed on the driving member; a press plate coupled to the body portion and pressing the clamping member; and an elastic leg for coupling the press plate to the body portion and providing elasticity to the press plate. In the body portion, a fixing piece for installing the elastic press member is provided to the guide pin formed on the upper chassis for guiding the movement of the driving member. The fixing piece is fixed at the driving member by the elasticity of the body portion itself.
A plurality of fixing pieces are installed at equal intervals on the circumferential portion of the body portion. A fixing hole is formed on one fixing piece in the radial direction of the elastic press member, while a fixing hole is formed on the other remaining pieces in a circumferential direction thereof.
The fixing hole consists of an insert portion having a greater diameter than that of a head portion of the guide pin, and a fixing portion having a smaller diameter than that of the head portion of the guide pin.
A guide hole is formed at the central portion of the press plate of the elastic press member, and a guide protrusion is formed at the central portion of the clamping member, positioning within the guide hole.
There is also provided a method for mounting a disk on a turntable including: a first support step of supporting a disk by corresponding an inserted disk to the position of a turntable by means of a clamping ascending and descending member driven by a driving member that is rotated according to driving force of a driving source; a second support step of mounting the disk on the turntable by lowering the clamping member that serves to clamp the disk while ascending and descending by virtue of rotation movement of the driving member; and separating step of separating the clamping ascending and descending member from the disk to render the disk to be rotated freely.